1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming machine such as a laser printer, a facsimile machine and a copier, and more particularly, to a detecting apparatus of a development cartridge used with an image forming machine capable of detecting the presence of the development cartridge mounted in the image forming machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image forming apparatus uses a development cartridge with a photosensitive drum and a development roller integrally mounted in a housing as a unit that can be easily mounted and/or dismounted to and/or from the body.
Such development cartridges have the same structural elements, i.e., a housing, but occasionally vary in the functional elements such as a developing agent and interior functional parts, and the shape or size of the parts mounted in the body. If the development cartridge and the body of the image forming machine are not suitable for each other, the printing quality may be deteriorated, or the image forming machine itself may break down. Accordingly, it is necessary to use an appropriate development cartridge suitable to be used in the image forming machine.
A conventional detecting apparatus of a development cartridge used with an image forming machine is shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, the detecting apparatus of a development cartridge comprises a cartridge detecting key 12 and a cartridge detecting groove 22. The cartridge detecting key 12 is disposed in the image forming machine body 10 and protrudes towards a development cartridge guiding portion. The cartridge detecting groove 22 is a groove formed on a development cartridge 20 in a shape and a size suitable for the cartridge detecting key 12 to be inserted when the development cartridge 20 is completely inserted into the guiding portion of the image forming body 10. Accordingly, when an appropriate development cartridge 20 is inserted in the image forming machine body 10, it can be completely mounted as the cartridge detecting key 12 is inserted into the cartridge detecting groove 22. However, if an inappropriate development cartridge 20 is inserted, the development cartridge 20 cannot be mounted completely since the cartridge detecting key 12 is interrupted by a part other than the cartridge detecting groove 22. Therefore, the use of an inappropriate development cartridge can be prevented.
However, such a detecting apparatus of a development cartridge having a simple mechanical structure allows the use of an inappropriate development cartridge by a simple operation such as removing or modifying the cartridge detecting key.
Accordingly, there is a need for a detecting apparatus of a development cartridge that enables the image forming machine to operate only when an appropriate development cartridge is mounted and prevents an inappropriate development cartridge from being used by a user's simple operation.